Kaleidoscope Jukebox

Having cut his teeth with a series of EPs, work that includes a winning remix for Thievery Corporation and a few interesting "rebuilds" or covers of classic rock songs, producer/multi-instrumentalist Clint Carty (aka Kaleidoscope Jukebox) finally releases his first full-length. His EPs have been themed after certain sample sources — soul for This Is That Soulful Way Out Sound, swing for Symmetric Swing Theory and Indian music for Songs of Samadhi — and the singles show an even greater diversity in his sample selections. But with Infinite Reflection, Carty tries to bring all these different elements together on one album. And he succeeds, likely due to the blunted beats and groovy bass lines that form the foundation of the Kaleidoscope Jukebox sound no matter the individual portions of dub, downtempo, hip-hop, soul, jazz, funk and world music he combines for each song. While the album works well as a whole, a few tracks stand out: opener "The Unpossible" is a funky hip-hop jam with DJ cuts and a positive message; "Rite of Passage" uses violin and a club beat to mimic Indi-pop; and "Double Edge Sword" is a great instrumental, and although the addition of 3rd Eye Vision may make it a good rap song, it's still the odd man out as the only vocal track. Actually, an album of vocal tracks from Kaleidoscope Jukebox would be an interesting prospect, but, for now, Infinite Reflection is as infectious an instrumental release as you're likely to find.